Reno-Depot Invests Over $6 Million on the Redesign of Its 5 Stores on the Island of Montreal

Banner repositioning creates some 100 jobs

BOUCHERVILLE, QUEBEC--(Marketwired - Feb. 24, 2014) - RONA inc. (TSX:RON)(TSX:RON.PR.A), a major retailer and distributor of hardware, home renovation and gardening products, is capitalizing on the new, highly successful concept for its Réno-Dépôt banner which it launched at its St-Hubert store in January. RONA continues the momentum with this week's unveiling of its revamped stores on the Island of Montreal, which are in Anjou, Marché Central, Notre-Dame-de-Grâce, LaSalle and Pointe-Claire. More than $20 million has been invested on the repositioning of the 16 stores in Quebec, including more than six million dollars on the five stores in Montreal.

Across Quebec, the launch of the new Réno-Dépôt concept, with its focus on enhanced customer service, will create a number of jobs. Réno-Dépôt will add about a hundred jobs in Montreal alone, and more than 300 around the province. The Réno-Dépôt stores in Rosemère, Laval, Ste-Dorothée, Vaudreuil-Dorion and Hull will be completely renovated by mid-April, and the stores in Quebec City, Ste-Foy, Beauport, Candiac and Brossard will be finished by mid-June.

"The major Réno-Dépôt repositioning is part of the overall strategy to turn RONA around. Since the launch of the new concept at the Saint-Hubert store in January, we have seen that consumers, and especially professionals and contractors who are a significant segment of the customers served by Réno-Dépôt, have responded enthusiastically to the changes. The positive response has pushed us to ramp up the makeover of our 16 stores in Quebec by June 2014. Given that we have five stores in Montreal, the significant investment and the creation of new jobs will be a boost to the local economy," said RONA's president and CEO, Robert Sawyer.

What differentiates the new Réno-Dépôt concept is its comprehensive line of quality brand-name products, a new procurement policy to make sure the right amount of products is always in stock, and an in-store shopping experience that has been entirely redesigned so that it's easier for customers to find the products they want, in an environment that makes it a pleasure to shop, with better signage, more staff on the floor and faster service.

"Consumer response to the new Réno-Dépôt concept has been extremely positive, which shows that our new merchandising strategy is right on track. We have seen higher in-store traffic and increased sales in some of the redesigned niches, namely plumbing, electricity and lighting. In just six months we will have refurbished all our stores to better meet the needs of our customers in every corner of the province," added Mario St-Louis, Vice President - Operations for Réno-Dépôt.

ABOUT RONA

RONA inc. is a major Canadian retailer and distributor of hardware, building materials and home renovation products. The Corporation operates a network of over 530 corporate, franchise and affiliate stores under several banners and in a number of complementary formats. With its 13 distribution centers and its specialized TruServ Canada wholesaler, RONA serves its network as well as many independent dealers operating under different banners. With some 25,000 employees, the Corporation generates annual consolidated sales of $4.2 billion. For more information, visit www.rona.ca.